This and That

I enjoyed a long weekend for President's Day. On Friday, I got a day off from everything which I spent shopping and having lunch with a friend and then doing some more shopping. Of course much of my shopping time was spent at kids clothing stores buying stuff for the girls. Shopping for cute toddler clothes is downright addictive. Even when I need stuff for myself, I can't help but be drawn in to these places.

On Saturday, Jillian started a parent and tot gymnastics class. If you've read my blog for any length of time then you know exactly how much this is right up her alley. Let's just say that she loved it. I'm pretty sure she didn't stop running the entire class, and watching her with the other kids reinforced exactly how energetic she really is even for a two year old. The hard part was getting her to slow down for the circle times and sing songs with the group...it was glaringly obvious that she is not used to being in any sort of instructional type setting. She's only two, so no big deal. But I think this will be a good thing for her for that reason as well.

Overall it was a fun weekend. I can't really say relaxing...because well that word doesn't really exist in my vocabulary for the time being.

And here are a couple of the latest pictures of the girls. And yes in response to everybody's comments on recent pictures, these two are looking more and more alike.

Cousins

Just prior to everybody getting sick, my sister and I managed to get a picture of all three girls together in their cousin's t-shirts. Have you ever seen a cuter group of girls? Jillian was sooooo excited about getting to hold Lily. It is amazing how much of a difference nine months makes. Prior to Hayden's arrival she was oblivious to my pregnancy and once she was here Jillian did not seem to notice very much other than adding the word "baby" to her vocabulary. Now at nearly two and a half years old, she is enthralled with babies. She loves to watch them and hold them. Part of it is probably having had a baby sister for some time now, and part of it is probably just an increased level of awareness. She spends much of her play time now putting all her stuffed animals to sleep...an obvious reflection on how Jeramy and I spend our days trying to get her and her sister to sleep I suppose!

P.S. Between my house and my sister's, little Lily was the only one who didn't get the stomach flu!

Sick :(

We are rarely sick at my house (knocking on wood as I type this). Sure we get a cold or two each season but for the most part the kids and adults in our household seem to be rocking some pretty healthy immune systems. In the 2.5 years since Jillian had been born, neither of my children have had the stomach flu. But that all came to an end this past Monday...

My sister and another friend came over for a play date Saturday morning. We had a fun time and all seemed well. Then on Sunday morning news came that Jaime and her boyfriend had been sick all night. Ugh. By Sunday night it all started at my house when Jillian threw up all over me while sitting on the couch watching TV. I had no idea so much could fit in such a small stomach. I also had no idea how long blueberries and raisins last in your digestive track.

Jillian and I spent the better part of the night together. And then when she seemed to be keeping fluids down again, Hayden started in. And then Jeramy and I weren't feeling so good. It was not pleasant. I so badly wanted to call somebody and have them come take care of all four of us. But then they would get sick too. So we were stuck. And miserable.

It was a lovely Valentine's Day.

By Tuesday we were starting to mend and considering solid foods an option again. I'm back at work today, but not quite 100%.

Being sick sucks. Being sick and having to care for other human beings sucks even harder.

Learning to Speak Jillian

Jillian's pronounciation leaves a little to be desired. Here was our conversation the other day:

Jillian holding toothbrush: "Butt cheeks".

Me: "Butt cheeks? Are you saying butt cheeks? Why are you talking about your butt?"

Jillian: "Butt cheeks!"

Me: "Are you poopy? No. Why do you keep telling me butt cheeks???"

Jillian still holding toothbrush: "Butt cheeks!"

Me: "What are you trying to say? Are you saying toothpaste?"

Jillian gleefully: "Butt cheeks!"

Me: "Oh you want toothpaste!" I gave her some kids toothpaste.

A few minutes later Jeramy walks in the room.

Me to Jillian: "Tell your daddy how you say toothpaste"

Jillian: "Butt cheeks!"

A Healthy Check-up

We took Hayden in for her 9 month appointment yesterday. Dr. M declared her a happy and healthy baby girl. The stats are:

Height: 27.5" (50th)

Weight: 21 lbs 10 oz (90th)

Head: 18.25" (95th)

So yeah she continues to be a bit on the chunky side but her rolls are crazy adorable. I'm sure her weight gain will slow down as she continues moving more and more. The poor baby seems to have taken a queue from me in the thighs department. She is a definite pear shape. When Jillian was 9 months, she was the same height but a mere 19 lbs...nearly 3 pounds less. Looking back at pictures she was also a lot more mobile. Hayden can do many of things Jillian was doing at the same age in terms of crawling, pulling up on things and climbing stairs but with much less proficiency. Hopefully Hayden will put off walking a couple more months than her sister as well. Jillian was practically running by her first birthday. I much prefer Hayden's low key style.

Whining About Whining

Jillian has hit a phase that cannot pass soon enough. Whining. Oh God does this girl have a talent for it. Plus she is persistent. The whining goes on and on and on, and on the really good days becomes an inconsolable temper tantrum. It increases before nap time and bed time, and a sign of a really horrible day is when it starts first thing in the morning. That was today. I was only too happy to ditch the husband and kids for work today. (But before you go feeling too sorry for Jeramy I should point out that the girls had overlapping naps today for two days in a row which never ever happens on a weekend!)

Now don't get me wrong. I love Jillian. The girl is fun and full of personality. I just hate the whining. I think that I could handle it better if there were some logic to it. Time outs now work well for bad behavior but they do nothing for whining. Jillian's communication skills make it worse too. You know she wants something in the kitchen so so so badly, but who knows what the heck it is. Trying to understand Jillian is like trying to understand Charlie Brown's mom. Jeramy is better at it than I am. I'll be standing with the refrigerator door open showing Jillian food options (and be met with no's and whining) and Jeramy will say she wants an apple.

It is also impossible to figure out what sets her whining off into full blown temper tantrums. For example, on Sunday I decided to wash a blanket from the living room (not on of her blankets but just an ordinary blanket). When she saw me put it in the washer she threw a fit. "Noooo Mama. Please mama noooo!!!". I tried explaining that the blanket was dirty, but rationalizing with a two year old is wasted energy. She screamed and she cried and she begged me to stop washing the blanket for a half hour. The only thing that alleviated the situation was serving macaroni and cheese for lunch.

The only thing we have figured out that does work for whining is tricking her into thinking that we gave her what she wants. For example when she kept dropping macaroni and cheese on the floor after the aforementioned tantrum, she'd cry that she wanted me to pick it up so she could eat it. As I don't trust my floors, I'd pretend to put it in her bowl but then stick it in her napkin. At bedtime she asks for more water than what is in the sippy cup in her bed (bad for potty training I know). Instead of giving her more water, which equals wetting through her diaper, I just go out and pretend to get her more. Dishonest, yes. Effective, yes.

I never said that I was above dishonesty.

9 Months

(this girl loves her doggie!)

Hayden has now been on the outside as long as she was on the inside. It is funny how little things seem to change on a daily basis. But then, when you look back over several months, you realize just how rapid a baby changes. This really hit home last weekend when we visited a friend and her newborn in the hospital. I swear I just blinked and Hayden went from a tiny fragile infant to a chubby, mobile baby.

Hayden continues to prove herself happy and adaptable. This past month has introduced some challenges in the sleep department. I attribute it to hitting big milestones like crawling and pulling herself up. She wakes herself up several times each night practicing crawling in her sleep or becoming restless and unable to calm herself back down. Usually re-inserting her pacifier does the trick, but sometimes she wants to be rocked back to sleep or even occasionally demands a bottle. The bad nights are when Jillian gets up several times and Hayden wakes up several times. The horrible nights are when Hayden's crying wakes Jillian up and I have two tired, crying children to deal with. Thankfully I can hand one off to Jeramy but really folks this is a major reason that I'm not considering a third child.

Naps are another issue. While Hayden doesn't usually get too cranky, she has been resisting naps these days. And when she does take them they are short. I remember with Jillian that this was a difficult age as they want to be awake and experiencing new things rather than sleeping. It also always seems like at least one child is awake at all times with Hayden usually taking two naps and Jillian taking one.

I must admit that I am feeling rather worn out these days. I think that I'm usually getting enough sleep in terms of hours, but with the constant interruptions I never wake up feeling truly rested. Plus there is the weather as winters in Seattle are gray and soggy. The days are short, and I go to work and return home in the dark. During the week it often feels like I'm either working, commuting, caring for children or cleaning and on the weekends its kids, cleaning and laundry all day long. I need to work on finding balance again in life, but as any mom knows that is not always easy. Plus I have had some other stresses piled on me in the past month that I think may be exaggerating my fatigue. It will all get easier some day, I know. I just have to find a way to make it all manageable now so that I can make enjoying my family a priority.

And really, with a baby like Hayden, there is so much to enjoy. I swear she is the baby that makes everybody else want to have babies. What a sweetheart.